RWBYS
by Gear001
Summary: Vytal is shaken by a catastrophic explosion, one large enough to cause panic around the globe. Team RWBY, along with the other students of Beacon, find themselves dragged into a cold war bred by deceit and betrayal, spanning generations and continents. On the verge of mayhem they must rise to restore peace, or die trying. AU Second Season to RWBY. [Cover by gin-1994 on DeviantArt]
1. Prologue - DuO, Dust and the Desert

_Suggested Listening: "From Shadows" - RWBY OST_

* * *

_Prologue__  
__**DuO, Dust and the Desert**_

_-Desol Desert, Outside Basin City, Basin Dust Goods Mining Facility 16-_

Dust.

One of the most fundamentally important elements for survival in all of Vytal.

First harvested by humans in the desperate attempt to ward away the monsters at their door, the demons called Grimm.

Combining this volatile chemical with their powerful inner energy, the power of their souls, Aura, the humans managed to push the Grimm away from the standing beacons of civilization. With this reprieve, humanity thrived on Vytal, building a world in which they could keep the soulless monsters at bay and still enjoy relatively comfortable lives.

Even in those recreational efforts dust became a necessary commodity. Its properties as a fuel suited it perfectly to power the machinations of a sentient species gone wild. All things now, from cars to planes to airships to buildings to homes, were dependent upon the substance to continue operating.

To facilitate the demand for power many large dust-mining companies grew to prominence, starting early in humanity's growth before evolving into corporate giants alongside the species that created them. Among the greatest of these companies was the _Schnee Dust Company_.

Universally loved, universally despised, the _SDC_ was at the forefront of all innovations of Dust technology. Even some of the more… unscrupulous projects could be traced back to the company. Through purely circumstantial evidence, that is.

Very few people would look too an abandoned _Basin Dust Goods_ mining facility for signs of foul play. Especially foul play when it came to one of the defunct company's former competitors.

Yet someone did.

And they'd taken a keen eye to _SDC_'s involvement in the desert cliffs…

* * *

-_Vale, Xiao Long Residence_-

The world shook.

Ruby opened her eyes, the dreary beams of sunlight pushing the warm embrace of sleep into a painfully groggy irritation.

"Go away sun…" she groaned, nuzzling into her pillow. "I don't need you for another few hours…" she muttered, trying to return to that comforting cocoon of rest.

She was met only by the feel of the blanket against her exposed skin and the presence of her dry tongue in her equally parched mouth.

She wasn't getting back to bed anytime soon.

Cursing under her breath she slipped out of the covers, unceremoniously donning a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers that matched her pajama bottoms. In the bright morning haze the seventeen year-old managed to shuffle her way to the shower, towel over her shoulder at ready for some personal grooming.

Opening the door to the bathroom released a plume of warm steam that beat her senses with the intoxicating odors of hair-care products.

Yang had been here, forty minutes ago at the latest.

Resigning herself to the balmy room she moved in and cleaned up, emerging mostly dried and still in her PJs. With more spring in her step thanks to the refreshingly hot water she made her way back to her room where she threw on a dark pair jeans and a simple t-shirt, something simple to pass the day in.

With a small smile she looked at her regular outfit, the majority of which was hanging on the back of her door. It and she had been through a lot in the last two years. It amazed her how well the combat skirt and corset had held up. Admittedly, it needed some minor patching here and there, not to mention a few small edits she had to make when her natural form began filling in more rapidly after adolescence hit its stride, but it was still very much the same set of garments that'd made the transition to her new life with her.

She'd change into it later if she was planning on going out, but until then simple was the way to go. Except the cloak. She always wore the cloak, regardless the situation.

Clothing now worn she went about her regular Saturday morning routine; pouring herself a big ol' bowl of _Tom Thumb's Cookie Crisps_, sitting on the couch with Yang and watching whatever cartoons came on.

The blonde in question came into view as Ruby exited the kitchen, bowl and glass of milk in hand. Her sister was already leaned back on the couch, the older girl having foregone her jacket, scarf and gloves while lounging. Only the skinny shorts, yellow shirt and orange socks remained.

Without a word Ruby set her bowl on the living room table, taking a bite from her spoon as she positioned where she'd sit on the couch. As she lowered herself down she felt the unmistakably tone shins of Yang resisting her path.

The older girl was toying with her.

Refusing to let her older sister one-up her, Ruby simply continued sitting down, putting her full weight onto the most awkward part of Yang's legs she possibly could.

Moments after realizing what her sister was doing, Yang dragged her legs back, throwing the raven-haired girl a good-humored pouting glare. Ruby merely snickered and punched her sibling in the shoulder. The two broke into a fit of giggles before comfortably settling in to watch the pointless fun of children's programming. It was only after Yang had finished her bowl of _Pumpkin Pete's_ that she finally broke the silence.

"School begins in five days," the blonde stated, draining the last sips from her glass of orange juice. Ruby smiled, not drawing her attention away from the TV.

"It'll be good to see Weiss and Blake again. We barely got to spend time with them this summer…" the younger woman replied, stretching her arms behind her back. She lifted her mostly empty bowl and downed the last of its contents with a satisfied sigh.

"We got two weeks with them at the beach. The _Schnee Resort_ _Beach_ may I remind you," Yang pointed, poking her sister's cheek. Ruby shoved the errant finger away.

"I know, I know, it's just… I thought that we were just so distracted with all the nice things there we didn't really do all that much together… and then Blake was all grumpy the entire time because she doesn't like the company… and you got your per-" Ruby was cut off by her sister's open palm.

"Let's… not… dig that up… shall we?" Yang pleaded, the desire to change topics scribed all over her reddening face. Ruby blushed as well, giving out a low, embarrassed chuckle.

"Right… well… you know what I mean…" she muttered, turning her attention back to the screen. Yang sighed.

"Listen, Blake and the Ice Princess'll be there at Beacon on Wednesday. That's just a few more days and then we're stuck with the cold-shoulder duo until winter break," the blonde noted, rolling her eyes at her younger sister. Ruby took a deep breath before sliding back into the couch, drinking down more milk from her glass.

"Okay, you're right… it's just that while we were there… Weiss was-"

For the second time that morning, Ruby was cut off.

"Emergency new bulletin," blared the speakers. Both girls immediately snapped their necks to the television; children's programming was rarely interrupted by news, so this particular situation was unprecedented to them.

Lisa Lavender's face appeared on the screen, her white hair obscuring half the panel. The camera aiming at her was out of focus and the cameraman seemed to be panicking trying to get it aligned correctly.

"This just in, a large explosion has been seen on the outskirts of the kingdom of Basin. While it is unknown what the source was at this time, many are suggesting that one of the many mining facilities populating the Desol Desert may be the cause.

"As of yet there are no reported injuries, but the force of the explosion was enough to cause an earthquake measuring 8.6 on the Halekan Scale at its epicenter, making it one of the largest recorded in recent history," the reporter spouted quickly.

Images of a black mushroom cloud were cycled behind the woman before switching to some form of security footage that'd managed to catch the apex of the blast. There was a tiny flash on the horizon before dark columns began invading the sky.

"Experts are still attempting to determine what form of ecological impact this explosion will have, but short-term estimates put the dangers of dust poisoning in the local Basin area as a high risk. Due to its relative proximity, this concern applies to the inhabitants of Vale as well.

"Projected fallout will arrive around seven thirty this evening and end around five AM Monday morning. Citizens are warned to stay inside at this time to avoid any form of improper exposure to unrefined dust and to allow the emergency dust umbrellas to do their job properly. We'll keep you posted as the situation progresses. This has been an emergency report, Lisa Lavender live from Vale News Network."

Ruby and Yang just looked at the TV in bafflement, a quiet settling in between the pair. Moments passed before either said a word.

"Well…" Yang began, mouth attempting to find the proper words. Failing that, she continued. "That was a thing…" she spoke aloud. She turned to Ruby, a curious gaze in her eye. "What were you going to say?" she asked, the news report dropping from her train of thought.

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Nothing…" Ruby sighed, standing from her seat and collecting her dishes. She laid them in the dishwasher and headed back to her room to change into her regular outfit.

Ruby emerged with corset and skirt and leggings all worn, the blocky red form of Crescent Rose hooked across her back and tucked safely under her cloak.

"Aw… but the Froo-Froo dog pageant was about to come on! We watch it every year!" Yang moaned, twisting on the couch and watching her sister tie up her boots. "Where are you going anyway?"

Ruby looked over at her older sister and gave a partial scowl.

"I don't know, but I do know that I can probably help with the fallout thing happening somehow. I'm going to go talk to the police, see if they can use a Huntress-in-training for anything," she explained, heading to the door. "Tell mom and dad that I'm out helping people around town. Not sure when I'll be home."

Yang matched her sister's half-scowl before standing and writing a note on a small sticky pad and sticking it on the dinner table. Ruby looked at her with a questioning glance just as Yang turned off the TV.

"You're not going alone," the blonde explained, slipping on her jacket, fingerless gloves and scarf. "C'mon, we'll take the cycle. Faster than walking for sure."

Ruby gave Yang an appreciative smile before leaving through the door.

People were going to get hurt, and that killed her to know that.

But, on a bittersweet bright side, she now had something to take her mind off the time until she got to see her friends again.

* * *

_-Desol Desert, Outside Basin City, Basin Dust Goods Mining Facility 16-  
-25 Minutes Earlier-_

"_Get in, find the target, get out. Don't make this any more complicated than it needs to be._"

"I know the objective. Don't treat me like a puppy. I'm aware I have a leash."

In an empty corridor of the facility an errant ceiling grate popped out of its indent, crashing to the concrete with a metallic clink. This was shortly followed by a blurred purple figure dropping from the hole.

The man, a wolfish faunus with deep hazel eyes, stood and surveyed the passage. Pleased to find not a single guard in sight he bent forward and began a silent sprint through the building, turning corners at blinding speeds. Were he to be seen only a hazy lilac silhouette could be identified.

And as luck should have it, he _was _seen. A pair of guards patrolling the halls for just such an intruder came into view as he screeched around one of the many bends twisting inside the building.

Neither had time to react as the faunus struck, swinging a broad single-blade axe with his right hand. The first guard collapsed as his head popped cleanly off his shoulders, the blade digging itself into the concrete partition just beyond the man's fleshy neck.

The next man had barely begun reaching for his weapon when the assailant jumped and wrapped his legs around the panicking guard's jaw, using the axe imbedded into the wall to hold his weight mid-air. A moment later the second guard's neck gave a sickening crunching sound in tandem with the faunus' flexing ankles.

Without stopping the intruder pulled his axe from the wall, did a small efficient flip and continued on his way in a single smooth motion. Continuing to sprint the man rounded yet another corner, this time passing a set of double doors as he did so.

With no attempts at being subtle he threw open the doors, flipping the battle axe in his hand. The hilt bent in three joints with the pommel of the grip clicking into place just below the blade. Small iron sights flipped up where the hilt first curved, lining up with the back spike of the bladed cudgel. Now in its ranged configuration the man used the weapon to sweep the room, aiming down the rudimentary sights and preparing for resistance. His breath hitched in his throat.

Half a minute ticked by. None came.

He was staring at an empty lab, bar a large spherical container in the center. A mechanical door was open at the center of the sphere, peeling back the outer shell in once slice to allow access to the vacant inner core.

It was empty, just like the lab.

The man growled, barring the fangs among his teeth. He whipped his weapon back into its axe formation before slamming down on a nearby examination table. The metal bent under the force and fell in half. Snarling he put his finger to his ear and pressed the communication pin.

"It's not here! They've moved it."

There was a pause before he received a reply.

"_We were warned that was a possibility. The charges are set, so clear out of the facility._"

The faunus nodded, teeth still grit in irritation. His triangular set of ears perked as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the building. Two hundred meters by his best estimate.

"_Also, I noticed that all of the doors have alarms if you don't have the proper clearance. Did you take time to disarm them?_"

The man's lip curled. One hundred meters.

"Nope," he responded, cutting the line just as he heard his partner sigh. The feet reached the door just as he changed his weapon back to its rifled form.

_Based upon the sound of their feet, the strength of their footfalls, the speed at which they're going…_ The faunus calculated carefully.

In that split moment three armed guards slid into view, spreading out to block the exit.

_Pffwwft, pffwwft, pffwwft._

Just as they had steadied themselves into position each of them were struck with a glowing red bobble the size of a fist that adhered to their clothes. In a lapse of composure one attempted to pull the gelatinous sphere from his chest, only to have his hand stick to the quickly warming substance.

The guards received no more time to panic as the balls exploded in a burst of fiery energy.

The man stepped over the charred corpses, intent to sprint his way out of the building. However, he caught a fine detail about one of the bodies; a set of floppy dog ears, singed but clearly intact, mounted on a guard's head.

The surviving faunus snarled before snapping down his axe and mutilating the corpse further, leaving it nigh unrecognizable.

"Traitor," he spat.

Then he was gone, charging down the halls heading north-east. At the end of one of the hallways came another contingent of guards, at least seven strong. His keen vision picked up a set of rabbit ears and a monkey tail. The intruder gave a hiss.

"BASTARDS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU FIFLTHY CONSPIRATORS!" he yelled, firing his weapon twice. Six more bloated bobs leapt from his barrel, passing the oncoming wave of defensive fire from the guards. With a practiced ease he dodged the incoming lead and dust, eventually running up a wall and rolling past the group of stunned rent-a-cops.

Just as he landed his slower moving shots made their marks, gelling into four of the seven men. He stepped forward with his momentum, keeping himself just out of reach of the explosion's radius.

_Fwmpff!_

Gaseous warmth enveloped his shoulders and neck. He smiled, not even bothering to look back at the falling bodies. Continuing his dash he finally breached the edge of the facility, bursting through the heavy metal doors into the fresh morning air.

He took a deep breath of the dry desert air, enjoying the clean nature of the wasteland atmosphere. Finding his quickened pace less desirable in such good weather his feet slowed to a relaxed jaunt, carrying him over the walkway's metal plating with a confident grace. He strolled casually over to the railing of the platform he was on, loading a fresh nine-round clip into his weapon.

Below was the cacophony of metal composed the mine's exterior. Catwalks and balconies dotted the dry orange mountainside, met with large metal containers that had rusted with age and a few fuel tanks that'd been unused until recently. At the base of the mountain was a disparaging length of desert eking out into the dunes of Desol.

Beyond that, about two and a half miles away, was a cliff face that overlooked the ocean, which at this distance was barely a thick strip of blue between the washed out sands of Desol and the radiant turquoise sky.

More panicked footsteps. This time coming from all over the facility. His wolf ears twitched.

Guards came rushing from each of the exits, guns blaring towards the infiltrator. With a smooth hurtle he leapt over the railing and plunged to the catwalk below, landing on a rushing guard as he did so. The guard's companions turned to face him, but he was too quick, lashing forward with his lobber.

With a pull of the trigger three red spots gripped themselves to the two men at the head of the group. The last man of the four was kicked into the air by the faunus and then spiked forward like a limp tennis ball. Slamming into his rigged compatriots the trio exploded.

The faunus then hopped the catwalk just as more guards began emerging to corner him. With a gleeful laugh he fired three more blobs into the bottom of the bridge as he fell. The shots exploded, causing the suspended surface to begin collapsing under the strain.

He landed feet first on the balcony below. Figuring he was low enough, an since he had a pretty clear runway with the shape of the terrace, he sprinted towards the desert with the aim of jumping out into the sands. More guards came running from both directions.

He only bothered with the ones in front.

Jumping, the faunus gave a smooth spinning motion and firing off the last rounds in the clip. The explosives landed themselves on the front line of approaching guards. He landed just behind them, his weapon having gone back to its melee configuration.

Carrying the inertia over from his fall and spin he thrashed around and caught the rearguard off balance, sending two soldiers over the edge of the railing and one to the ground with a gash the bulk of a gull grown anaconda. Just as he reached the ledge the front guard he'd stuck with explosives finally detonated, taking out a portion of the veranda with them.

Standing on the railing he twisted around and gave a brief, sarcastic salute to the few guards that wouldn't make it to him in time.

With that, he reverse swan dived to the bottom of the mountain, landed clear on his feet with nary a scratch, and sprinted off into the dunes.

* * *

-_Vale, Outside Main Police Station_-  
-_Forty minutes post Desol Event_-

"This sucks…" Ruby muttered, kicking a nearby stone.

"Ruby, we're not full huntresses yet. Can't get mad at them knowing that we'd probably just get in the way," Yang sighed back, cupping her chin in her palms as the pair sat on the police station steps. "Besides, not much we can do without shipping ourselves over to Basin and helping people get back on their feet. And if we did that…"

"We wouldn't be able to attend Beacon this semester, dragging down Weiss and Blake with us, I know, I know…" Ruby finished, standing from the concrete. With a defeated moan the seventeen year-old skipped down the steps at an uneven pace. Yang followed, pulling the keys to her bike from a pocket of her jacket.

"Hey, upside is that the worst we're going to get is a little dirty snow. Folks can shovel that away pretty quickly, provided those big umbrella thingies don't get most of it," the blonde stated, glancing over at a construction crew rushing to unfold a strange, mushroom shaped tower over the police precinct. She returned her eyes to her sister and returned to her passive gait. "Though you're right this whole thing makes me feel useless," Yang continued, biting her lower left lip in irritation.

Ruby chanced a glance back before giving yet another sigh. Yang attempted a reassuring smile, but it was hard seeing her sister so gloomy. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Well, maybe we can do _something_… it won't be legal, but it's something…" she said, placing a flame patterned helmet on her head.

Ruby grabbed the spare on the back seat. It was covered in pink flower stickers. The raven haired girl managed a half-smile at the memory of that day Nora bought a sticker book and gotten into the garage. It took her a moment to notice what Yang had said.

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked, lips and brows contorting to a façade of curiosity. Yang gave a wolfish grin.

"Well, with the curfew there's bound to be plenty of crime going around, so… the police might need a little more help… you know, keeping the city safe," the blonde hypothesized, tapping her finger to the chin of the helmet.

Ruby's face brightened, immediately picking up on the mischievous sing-song tone she'd grown up with.

"Yeah, everyone in-doors… perfect witching hour for crooks…" Ruby noted, matching her sister's chin-tapping motion. She smiled at Yang. Yang smiled back through the helmet.

"It'll only last a day or so… the police shouldn't have any trouble dealing with that…" Yang pouted, straddling the bike with a practiced swing of her leg. Ruby hopped on behind her, flower helmet donned, arms encircled around her sister's waist.

"But just in case…" Ruby supposed. Yang nodded back to her sister, squinting through the open visor.

"Just in case," she reaffirmed, flipping down the eye protection.

In moments the two were buzzing down the street towards home. They had a busy night to plan.

* * *

_-Desol Desert, Nine Hundred Miles Outside Basin, Basin Dust Goods Mining Facility 16-  
-5 Minutes Pre Desol Event-_

"You took too long."

The Faunus leaned against the wall, taking in deep gulps of air. He was used to running fast, but to assure his escape he'd made the full three-or-so mile sprint to the ocean. Safe to say, he was a little winded. Looking up at his mocking companion the faunus snapped.

"And I was actually doing something useful until it turned out our luck ran dry," the wolf-man spat, leaning up against the cliff face. For a moment he cautioned a look down the sheer drop. It made his skin crawl, even though he was sure he could survive a fall.

"I'm sorry I wasn't busy chasing geese like you, but I have to make sure your mess is cleaned up after when you botch a simple security check. I really wish for once you'd make my life easier Dyr…" his companion sighed, also slouching against the rock wall.

The outcropping they stood in was a shallow dip into the cliff, accessible via multiple cave entrances that had been carved out by heavy rains that fell only at the edge of the desert thanks to the ocean.

Dyr snarled, flipping his thick, lanky black locks of hair away from his eyes.

"I'm here to do actual work, not make things easier on the babysitter, Doil," he growled, throwing his hazel eyes out to the ocean.

Odur Doileir followed the man's gaze and found the foam of breaking waves. The chaotic waters made Doil's stomach lurch. Combined with his partner's attitude this was enough to drag his patience away.

"And I'm not here to play babysitter, but I've been relegated to that task regardless," Doil shot back, hitting the wall behind him with the sheath of his right longsword. "You were seen at least a dozen times on camera and God knows how many guards survived to see your face."

Dyr snarled.

"I don't go out publically anymore. Hell, even before I was kicked out of White Fang I laid low. No worries of being recognized on the streets," the faunus retorted, thumbing the edge of his nostrils.

"Regardless, we can't have people being able to identify you. I've taken the necessary precautions though. Shouldn't have a problem with witnesses after the CD-7 goes off," Doil noted, sticking a toothpick in his mouth and nibbling on the wood. He ran a finger through his thinning grey hair and pushed the dark reading glasses up farther on his nose.

Almost as if on cue explosions sounded from behind the cliff, echoing out to the ocean and the farther reaches of the desert. There was a pause before either of them said something.

"Hey Doil…" Dyr started, scratching his temple. "Do you think there was still raw dust in that mine? I mean since they repurposed it…"

A light breeze passed by, churning the air and delivering a chilling wispy noise akin to a ghost whispering.

The question hit Doil like a sack of bricks. He'd forgotten to take excess dust into the explosives calculations. And he'd seen plenty of raw dust still stored in the facility when he'd slipped through the security.

The toothpick fell from his lips as the realization hit him. Not speaking a peep he glanced down the cliff to the watery depths below. Looking up from the ocean he caught eyes with Dyr and a silent communication ran between the two. Fear, anger, pride and smug satisfaction floated through Dyr's glare.

Not uttering a single word the duo jumped the lip and plummeted into the waters below. As they dropped one of the largest explosions to ever occur on Vytal flattened a mountain, glassed a desert, and shook the planet to its core.

At least for Dyr sake, it was safe to say there weren't going to be any witnesses.

* * *

-**R**ED-

_Created by Monty Oum_

-**W**HITE-

_A Rooster Teeth Production_

-**B**LACK-

_FirstGear Productions_

-**Y**ELLOW-

_A Community Effort_

-**S**UBVERTED-

_Team RWBY_

**=R.W.B.Y.S.=**

* * *

_Author's Note: Hello and welcome to RWBYS, where the solutions are fake and the points don't matter (except in France)! :D_

_I am your humble pilot through the coming maze of mystery and madness, a troublesome turmoil that Ruby, Weiss and everyone nice will find themselves entangled with. _

_This began, as you may know, as an SYOC fiction, and I must say I've gathered quite the impressive cast of characters to add into the RWBY universe. Fear not, I mean what I say about treating this as a sequel season to RWBY as opposed to a full-blown SYOC._

_There is an overarching plot, all of the characters from the show (as of episode 16) will make an appearance in some manner and will have some role in the story that's at least somewhat purposeful. The SYOCs will not overshadow the main groups, as THEIR development is ALSO crucial to my grand schemes._

_Side note: as landmarks and locations are revealed in the actual cannon RWBYverse, I will attempt to rectify names and locales. You can clearly see me going out of my way with the whole "Kingdom of Basin" and "Desol Desert" thing. So if those locations change, so will their names._

_As I have said before, I have the next two and a half chapters written, so I will post them weekly until I run out. Chapters 2 and 3 are going to be quite beefy so as to properly introduce the new cast._

_However after that it's all up in the air as to what my schedule of production will be, so don't expect consistent intervals. This is a very intricate story, and I have some great set pieces planned (Can anyone say "A bazillion Mexican Standoffs" ten-times fast? XP)._

_And yes, that whole "R.W.B.Y.S." thing at the end there was horribly corny. I cringed while writing/reading it, BUT I COULDN'T RESIST. I'M A FILMMAKER DAMNIT, I'LL GET MY SEXY CINEMATIC OPENING TITLE IF I WANT IT! T-T_

_Until then I leave you with these pointless tidbits of information I'll attempt to get in the habit of putting in my works. Servus, my friends, until next week do we meet! :D _

_Final Word Count (No Author's Comments): 4,549_

_Pages: 13_


	2. Chapter 1 - Looming Beacon

RWBYS  
_Chapter 1__  
__**Looming Beacon**_

-_Vale Police Station, Outside Interrogation Room C-  
-37 Hours post Desol Event-  
-Suggested Listening: "Court Begins", Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney OST-_

"Ozpin, I've been meaning to speak with you about some of these new… recruits you've decided to pass…" an authoritarian voice cracked. It was that of a woman, studious in both posture and in clothing. Her long, spindly, platinum-blonde hair was curled into a messy bun and her jade eyes were beset by a pair of spectacles.

The man she spoke to merely turned, his hazel eyes only briefly locking with hers. He returned his attention to the window before them, looking into the holding cell.

"Ms. Goodwitch, this is hardly the time to bring up minor transcript errors," Ozpin responded, taking a sip from his ever-present mug. "Besides," he continued, dropping the ceramic from his lips, "I've already mailed the letters."

Glynda Goodwitch gave a huff of annoyance.

"'Minor' is putting it lightly, sir. Some of these students are wholly unqualified to attend Beacon. For example, this Eireen Kaliannah girl. She's not had a single minute of formal training in her life. How she even passed the written test is amazing," Goodwitch expressed, pulling up the student's profile on her scroll. She scowled. "When Father Jeremiah met her before the physical trials he noted that she was, quote 'Ready to unleash the wrath of the ancients to kill a single Wendigo,' unquote," she read dryly. "He suggested immediate psychiatric evaluation, writing that he thinks she's a sociopath. I won't dip into the more verbose and… colorful terminology he used in that regards," the woman finished.

"You know as well as I do how delusional Jeremiah can be. He likes to take theories and injuries to the extreme to make himself look more impressive…" Ozpin sighed. "That or he genuinely believes the babble he spouts. I'm not sure which is scarier."

"Regardless of our faculty's questionable mental status, his warning does have merit thanks to the combat data we got from her. She seems very… unstable." Glynda's frown contorted from one of irritation to disgust. "I don't think she's ready to handle the burden of being a huntress."

Ozpin chuckled lightly.

"And the stats on hunter and huntress mental stability state otherwise. She's cleared, that's final. Next complaint?" the headmaster asked, a teasing smile on his lips. The hand on his cane played idly with the cuff of his green undershirt on the opposite sleeve.

Goodwitch shook her head and swapped to the next candidate she wanted to address.

"Okdes Lucis Susceptor. Again no formal training and-" the huntress started. Ozpin didn't allow her to finish.

"Ah yes, the boy I met on my walk through the woods. Dealt with a nasty batch of Ursi singlehandedly. He's a good conversationalist, if not a little hotheaded," the teacher mused, holding his grin proudly.

"You found him wandering around in the forest with no bearings or even the slightest hint of personal hygiene…" Glynda retorted, pursing her lips in disapproval.

"I found him while taking a stroll in the forest and I found he was quite _adequate_ at handling himself against the Grimm. Consider him my own pet-project for the year," Ozpin shot back, raising his brow and taking another sip of his beverage.

"Yes, well, we can _all_ see how well your 'pet projects' work out…" his subordinate noted, making a graceful gesture to the two girls behind the glass screen. In particular she motioned to the girl in a red cloak trying desperately to explain to an officer why she and her sister were out during the curfew. "She's back at this vigilante act even after two years at Beacon. This calls for serious punishment for her _and _her sister…"

"Choose a topic and stay on it, my dear. You don't flatter yourself with tangents," Ozpin suggested, taking another thick swig. Goodwitch's mouth moved to retort but closed in defeat. She decided to simply do as he asked and continue.

"Finally, Corr Otto Giudice. No background, no fam-"

Ozpin's eyes narrowed quite quickly at the name, a cold, aggressive tone shifted across his face.

"_He stays_," the headmaster hissed. Glynda's eyes widened, having rarely seen this side of her employer. She stayed silent as he continued. "True he does not have certain… qualifications, but I'm allowing him in as a favor to an old accomplice. Regardless, I have every confidence the boy will do just fine. So if you please, we have more vital matters to attend to," he explained, motioning to the duo sitting beyond the glass.

Glynda quickly noted the hypocritical nature of Ozpin's topic deflection, but she knew better than to question him when he talked with that low voice. Her mouth almost ran dry.

"Yes, of course. I do believe they said we could enter any time once the officer leaves," the teacher explained, pawing at her scroll.

The Headmaster gave a brief 'hrumph' as he recomposed himself.

"Excellent. Also see if I can get a fresh cup of coffee. This _is_ a police station and I ran out half an hour ago," Ozpin said with a grin.

Glynda gave a confused glare over at her boss, moving the gaze from his lips to his mug with utter bafflement. Deciding it was better not to ask she did as he requested and went to fetch him a refill.

* * *

-_Vale Police Station, Interrogation Room C-_

"You know, I do believe this is the very same room that I met you in, young lady," Ozpin greeted, sliding into the seat across from Ruby. The raven girl's eyes glinted with panic and concern.

"Professor Ozpin! I… Well... Yang and I were just… I mean I was…" she stuttered out, any and all attempts to explain her actions coming out as gibberish. Yang put a hand over her sister's, calloused fingertips massaging the younger girl's knuckles.

"It was my fault sir. I put Ruby up to-" Yang started, attempting to take the blame.

"Perhaps you did but she still went along with it, so fault also rests on her shoulders, even more so in my eyes since she is technically your superior," Ozpin snapped in quickly. Yang's nostril's flared.

"Only at Beacon, sir!" she returned, a glint of red leaking into her lavender eyes. Ozpin gave her an unimpressed glare.

"We're outside Beacon now and yet _you_ still call _me_ sir," he noted, taking the wind out from under her argument with one sentence. Her lips twitched.

"That's differen-!"

"No, no it's not," Glynda jumped in. "Your sister is the leader of Team RWBY, regardless her physical location and her familial relations. That's a weight of responsibility she bares with her so long as the team exists, her actions speaking for her, you, your teammates and even for Beacon," the Huntress snarled. "We can't afford gaining the reputation of a school that trains vigilantes and criminals."

Yang was about to give her rebuttal when a pale arm in a dark sleeve gripped her bicep. The blonde looked over at her sister. Ruby's eyes were cast to the table before she looked up into Ozpin's eyes.

"I take full responsibility for both Yang and my actions today. I'll do whatever you need me to do to redeem our credibility and our name," the young woman stated firmly.

Ozpin matched her gaze, only once taking a sip from his steaming mug. He gave a small smirk, one that visibly eased the team leader.

"I'm sure you will. There are no charges against you outside of the curfew issue. The arsonists you stopped have all been apprehended and accounted for," the Headmaster noted. Ruby and Yang slouched in their chairs with a relieved sigh. Ozpin's smile became more intense instead of wider. "Of course when you get back to school you'll serve two weeks of detention and help tutor the freshman for a month," he added sadistically. This received a satisfied 'hrumph' from Glynda and a groan of exacerbation from the two students.

Besides that enthusiasm-curbing crack the room took on levity that they all briefly allowed themselves a moment to enjoy. Then Ozpin took another swig and put his cup off to the side, folding his hands casually.

"Though I would like to hear about who these criminals were and how exactly you knew they were going to be where they were…"

Yang and Ruby looked to each other with quirked brows. The blonde turned to the headmaster, shrugging.

"Uh, well… we were just out looking for people making trouble. One trail of smoke later and we ran across them," she answered, scratching her head earnestly.

"As for who they were… we don't know, sir," Ruby noted, twiddling her thumbs. "I mean, we tried to get as much out of them as we could, but I'm not very strong and Yang was a little… too strong," she chuckled, averting her gaze to the corner behind Glynda. It suddenly seemed very attractive next to the incriminating stares of her teachers.

"Right… three of the twelve have concussions and multiple abrasions along their faces… I'm still amazed you got off the assault charges…" Goodwitch licked her lips while gazing at the information on her scroll.

None of the women noticed Ozpin's eyes shift ever so briefly at the mention of the assault charges.

"We had good reason though," Yang explained, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms over her bust. Ruby nodded.

"One of them mentioned Torchwick during the fight. We think there's a group of his old goons that are still rallying under his name…" Ruby continued. "Yes, we may have gone a little overboard, but I thought it best if we make sure there wasn't a more serious issue here. Guess we were wrong…" she smiled wearily, rubbing the back of her neck.

Ozpin shook his head, Glynda pursed her lips.

"Well what's done is done. Consider this your slap on the wrist. The police are done looking into you, so you're clear to go. I expect to see you both Wednesday with the rest of the returning class," Ozpin explained, motioning to the door. The pair stood from their chairs.

"Thank you Professor, both of you," Ruby said softly. Yang punched her shoulder.

"C'mon champ, let's go get our gear," the blonde said cheerily. She gave a smile to Glynda and Ozpin. "I'll see you both in two days!"

Yang strolled out the door. Ruby waited behind.

"Problem, Ruby?" Ozpin asked, turning around in the chair. She smiled shyly as she milled by the exit.

"I know why this seems odd now… you didn't bring cookies this time…" she noted. Ozpin returned her smile.

"Let's hope there's not a next time, but if there is, I won't forget them. I promise," the Headmaster answered. Ruby nodded with a wide, appreciative grin before closing the door behind her.

Almost as soon as she left Ozpin's smile fell.

"You know they were only a block away…" he muttered.

"A block away from what?" Glynda asked, cocking her head to listen more closely to her boss.

"The murder scene. Man had been pinned to a wall with multiple blades. They were all removed by the time the police got there. Left quite a mess for the morgue," Ozpin noted, flipping through his scroll and reading the reports. He nudged his glasses farther up his nose. "Tragedy of a situation, wouldn't you agree?"

Glynda interpreted the implication almost immediately. A softer frown graced her face.

"Yes… quite tragic indeed…" she muttered, knowing that Ozpin had won yet another argument without saying more than four sentences.

The pair left the holding room in relative silence, saying a few pleasantries to the police and thanking them for their time before they headed out entirely. Not to mention Ozpin getting a top off on his coffee. With a restored mood, the two continued on their way.

"So… I'm curious… what words _did_ Father Jeremiah use to describe Ms. Kaliannah?" the Headmaster asked as they strolled to the exit of the station. Glynda almost sniggered.

Almost.

"His exact words, I believe were something along the lines of 'Bitch be crazy', among other such profanities," she noted, trying to suppress a very uncharacteristically childish giggle. She settled for a pleasant grin.

Ozpin had no problem giving an amused chuckle.

"Now I remember why we keep him around," the man noted, holding the door open for his compatriot.

"That and he _is_ one of the best medics I've ever seen…" Glynda noted.

"He's a medic? Since when?" Ozpin asked, eyebrow raised in confusion. For the second time Glynda stood at him, mouth agape.

That is, until he began laughing.

"I'm messing with you, my dear. Now," he said as they stepped through the precinct doors. "We have much to do. A school year to prepare for, new students to see arrive, and many, many sheets of paper work that need to be filed."

Glynda rolled her eyes, but keep the faintest shadow of a smile.

Ozpin would never fail to surprise her.

* * *

-_Dragon Talon Spire, ?-_

"Could've gone better…" Dyr rasped, opening the door to his bunk. He needed a drink.

"Could have gone much, _much_ worse," Doil snapped, glaring at his partner while opening the door to his own apartment in the spire. He was simply looking forward to some shuteye. He hadn't been able to catch a single wink on the airship back to base. "I'm just glad that the documents I found made him happy. Hell, almost didn't grab them. Imagine this whole scenario if I hadn't," the white haired man rambled, setting his glasses down on the table next to his door.

"Wouldn't be breathing, either of us. You especially, since you botched the whole dust thing…" Dyr hypothesized, shedding his heavy Kevlar jacket. His short sleeves betrayed even more of his faunus heritage, revealing thick strips of black fur that thinned out around his wrist before fading away entirely.

"Right, because he gave very clear instructions _not_ to blow up the building…" Doil snorted sarcastically, alleviating himself of the vest sitting over his dull brown leotard. "It was a failed calculation, but it hindered our task very little aside from alerting them that we're after our target…" he held up his finger to stop his wolfish teammate from cutting him off. "Which, might I add, would have happened should we succeeded or failed. That was always part of the equation since the beginning."

Dyr snarled, glancing out the curved window of his apartment from the doorway.

"Fine, whatever," Dyr barked, walking deeper into his quarters. "Just don't screw up again, or so help me God, if I survive, I will _personally_ rip you limb from limb. Do I make myself clear?" the faunus asked. Before Doil could answer the feral man opened his mouth once more. "Of course I do, you know that. I'll be in here drinking if you need anything. Note; you better not _need anything_," the wolf-man hissed, waving his arms furiously and shutting the door.

Doil merely sighed. Dyr Retter, the wolf king, the most ferocious faunus in existence, drunkard extraordinaire.

The remaining teammate staggered into his room with a weary gait. He briefly glanced out the window and immediately regretted it.

_I should've asked for something a little lower_… he thought, trying to suppress the sudden urge to vomit.

With a defeated sigh he sat on his bed, content to sleep with his specially designed leotard and pants still on.

That's when the phone rang.

Groaning, he sat up and reached into his pocket and fished out the communicator. Opening it he was met with the standard sound waves that represented their commander in every call. Not even they knew who their employer was; just that he (or she) had happily provided accommodations for the duration of the mercenary's service and enough lien to keep the duo set for life.

"_Your next mission is in Vale. There are a few recruits I would like you to scout for me, and any 'potentials' are to be approached and offered the same commodities that you have been afforded. Standard fee for an extended mission, ride will be included,_" the voice said, obviously distorted to be both deeper and higher than any normal person's could.

A selection of documents appeared on the screen next to the placeholder for the employer's face. Doil clicked one and viewed the specs and images that popped up, detailing the life of a student enrolling into Signal. He swiped sideways and found one for a student bound for Beacon.

"_Here is the list of candidates with full bios and mission specifics. I will defer to your judgment as to who you deem meet the criterion. They must be someone who you'll play well with,_" the voice explained.

Doil swapped to the next candidate and merely found an amalgamation of reports detailing several gruesome murders across the city of Vale and the surrounding countryside. Images accompanied the notes, detailing the murder's M.O.

Either the victims were impaled to death against a wall or slashed to pieces by an unidentified weapon. No name was listed, merely being left marked as "Vigilante-1".

"_Do what you must to evaluate them and recruit them. Your mission begins in a week. Rest up, study the bios, and report to the airship at oh-four-hundred._"

The voice cut off and the transmission closed, leaving a screen littered with opened documents. Doil lifted his head.

"YOU GET ALL THAT?" he yelled, his voice carrying through the door.

"OF COURSE I DID! I CAN HEAR YOUR HEARTBEATING A MILE AWAY!" Dyr yelled back from his apartment. "ALSO, YOU DON'T NEED TO FREAKING YELL!"

Doil merely tittered at his partner's fury.

"EHY! DON'T GO LAUGHING AT ME WISE GUY! JUST WAIT TILL YOU CAN'T POOF INTO SMOKE ANYMORE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT! I'LL LEAVE YOU HANGIN' IN A MOMENT'S NOTICE!"

Shaking his head at his 'friend's' irritation Doil attempted to read a few of the bios. Failing miserably through his blurred vision the man tossed his holopad to the side and fell backwards on the bed, letting the lead weight of sleep encompass him.

It would be a day before he woke up and began thoroughly planning his mission.

It was going to be a long one.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yup, it's a short one, it was never planned to be all that long. But there's a reason for that. The next two chapters are going to be INCREDIBLY long compared to this, Chapter 3 especially._

_Also, say goodbye to Team RWBY for the next two chapters. It's time to bring in all of the OCs that were submitted (three of which were actually mentioned here, one of which in a way you don't even realize), and boy do those next to chapters have some meat on their bones._

_So yes, I realize that this is only a tidlywinks chapter, but it sets up so much so well and it would've been too hard to integrate it into the previous one (what with the excellent capstone moment of a massive explosion)._

_Standby my friends, the epic is coming ;)_

_Chapter Stats:_

_Pages: 9_

_Words: 3,051_


End file.
